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Ventura County’s homeless population grew by just under 13 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to an annual point-in-time survey done in late February.

On streets, at the beach, in shelters and parks, at adjacent rivers and in other spots in each of the county’s 10 cities and unincorporated areas, the count captured 1,299 men, women and children, up from 1,152 in 2017.

The count, released Wednesday during the Ventura County Continuum of Care Alliance board meeting, is a requirement for agencies that use federal dollars for homeless housing, programs and services.

“I don’t feel the increase was unexpected,” said Tara Carruth, the county’s coordinator for the Continuum of Care Alliance, which oversees U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development homeless funds. “It reflects more of what we see and feel. Our service providers are stretched with capacity. You visibly see more homeless people.”

In part, it also reflects a more comprehensive methodology for capturing the population. Social service providers joined law enforcement to count people living along the Santa Clara and Ventura rivers, areas not previously counted.

And this year was the first when census takers electronically recorded people and their exact locations, giving officials more specific information on where homeless people are living.

Across Southern California, the homeless population has seen an increase, Carruth said.

In Moorpark, Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, the homeless population dropped, while it stayed the same in unincorporated areas. The other seven cities saw increases, with the biggest coming in Ventura. That’s because the winter warming shelter, which often alternates between Ventura and Oxnard, was held in Ventura this season. The two cities swap holding the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.

Officials were encouraged, though, to see a drop in the number of homeless unsheltered veterans, from 80 to 63, and a drop in the number of unsheltered families.

Per HUD, the count usually captures anywhere from a third to a quarter of how many people were actually homeless in a 12-month period. So take 1,299 and multiply it by three of four for a truer sense of the scope of the problem, which some want to be officially acknowledged as a crisis.

To that end, a subcommittee of the Continuum of Care has been working to develop a letter urging jurisdictions to officially adopt policies that include:

Acknowledging the “housing and homelessness crisis in Ventura County.

Adopting a regional memorandum of understanding that commits to a regional approach to end homelessness while still tailored to the unique needs of each community.

But during Wednesday’s discussion, members of the Continuum of Care felt the letter went too far in its demands of cities and didn’t acknowledge the work already being done by many jurisdictions.

County Executive Officer Mike Powers said the letter read like elected officials were being told what to do.

“I’m actually worried something like this might set them back,” he said.

Instead, jurisdictions should talk about the work that is being done and continue to advocate for collaboration that’s already strong among city managers ready to work together, Powers said.

Residents, businesses, police — everyone’s frustrated with homelessness, Oxnard City Council member Carmen Ramirez said. There is no quick or one-size-fits-all approach, she said. That said, “It’s a crisis. It is a crisis,” she said.

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Volunteer Jim Duran talks to a homeless man living in a tent near Sanjon Road in Ventura while counting the local homeless population on Feb. 22, 2018.(Photo: JUAN CARLO/THE STAR)

In the end, the group directed Board Chair Mike Taigman to soften the language to make it less a policy request and more of a positive venue to discuss the work being done.

Ron Mulvihill, a member of the Housing and Services subcommittee who helped draft the letter, said in many places Continuum of Care groups are advocacy bodies to push policies to end homelessness and supported the strong language. But he was glad the letter would be revised and presented later.

Although the count total went up, it’s still far below the record set in 2009, when 2,193 people were counted. The count started in 2007 and, with the exception of 2008, has been done every year since. The count, usually done in January, was delayed by a month this year because of the Thomas Fire.

To end homelessness, the report recommends:

Finishing the job of ending homelessness for unsheltered veterans.

Furthering efforts to end homelessness among unsheltered youths.

Adopting a zero-tolerance policy for children living on the streets.

Continuing to implement Pathways to Home, a coordinated system that allows people to access services all in one spot.

Having each jurisdiction adopt unsheltered numbers as baseline data on which to measure progress.